Fastener



June 7, 1938. D. A. BRENNAN 2,119,844

FASTENEIR Filed Oct. 4, 1937 Patented June 7, 1938 7 r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FASTENER Daniel A. Brennan, Chicago, Ill.

Application October 4, 1937, Serial No. 167,094

'7 Claims. (01. 24-153) The invention relates to improvements in fasfor oo-operative eng m With means asso teners for binding papers together in a sheaf, ciated therewith. such as letters in a file, including a base having Another object is to provide an improved fasspaced prongs adapted to extend through apertener which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple tures in the papers and a compressor having simin operation and efiicient in use.

ilarly spaced apertures adapted to receive said The foregoing and such other objects of the prongs, the end portions of the latter being invention as will more fully appear hereinafter adapted to be bent downwardly against said comas the description p oo s Will b more readily pressor and to be held securely in bent position. understood from a perusa of he fo owing speci- .0;- Paper fasteners of the type comprising a base fi o reference being had to the p yit having prongs adapted to pass through apering drawing, in which: tures in a sheaf of papers and a compressor hav- 1 s a p V w Of a er embodying ing registering apertures adapted to receive said ea es of t e t o Showing e latc parprongs, in some instances, are provided with tially broken away. 7

l5;-. latches slidable over the prongs after the latter Fi 2 is a fr n a y longitudinal ion le are bent downwardly substantially against the View taken o e o Fig compressor. In such devices, the latches are, in 3 s a p an w O a fastener embodying some instances, arranged to slide inwardly over a modified construction. the prongs from a position outwardly of the Fig. 4 is a ag e y longitudinal se t onal apertures and in other instances said latches are w taken Substantially O line of ig. 3. so

slidable outwardly over the prongs from a posi- In the various embodiments illustrated like nution intermediate the apertures. m r ls i en ify li parts.

The invention relates primarily to a novel con- Referring particularly to s- 1 a d 2, the fasstruction of either type of fastener embodying tenor constituting one embodiment of the inven- ;,slidab1e latches to detachably engage means in ti n omprises a a l vin nd le pr n s r the prongs to prevent inadvertent shifting of the I? at opp site nds, d an o ed omp eslatches off from the bent over prong portions. l3 having spaced apertu es 4, on wa y The novel means incorporated in this invention of each end, adapted to receive the prongs. Elediffer materially from the means shown, dev e p r lel guides o flanges 5 r p vided scribed and broadly claimed in my co-pen-ding along th oppo i e lon it inal e e f t om- 30..

application, Serial No. 476,058, filed August 13, pressor l3. Preferably, the guides 15 are formed 1930, wherein means has been provided on the y folding the marginal e edges o 'the Comprong ends for engaging in recesses or apertures pressor up y and then d y. as in the latches to prevent inadvertent shifting of shown, and said ui es y eXtend beyond t e 31 1 l tche V apertures M. The guides l5 serve to reenforce The specific structure herein disclosed, for preth Compressor 3 and o c e the prongs l2 venting inadvertent shifting of the latches off laterally When the latter are bent downwardly from the ends of the prongs, is novel means on over the top face of the compressor. the prongs to embracingly engage the latches, In this form of fastener, the projecting ds of o-lwhich means is fully disclosed and broadl t e pr s I may be bent down against the t claimedin my co pending applications, Serial compressor either inwardly or outwardly from the 688,099, filed September 5, 1933; and Serial No. apertures StOPS formed by Striking 22291 filed May 20, 1935. The present appuca tents downwardly, are provided at each end of tion is a continuation-in-part of said co-pending each gmde TWO latches l preferably 15 applications. formfedJ 13f a strip of metal extendlng transverse- It is therefore, an object of the present inveny 0 e compressor are mounted to shde alon the guides I5 between the sto s l6. tion to provide an improved paper fastener with i the prongs are bent over igwardly novel means for effecting a yieldable latching or wards each other, as shown, the latches I! may embracing engagement between the prongs and be initially located inwardly of the ends of the the latches resisting displacement after the latter downwardly bent prongs and are then movable are moved into position to hold the prongs in outwardly toward the apertures over the ends of bent down position over the compressor. said prongs to hold the latter bent over the com- Another object is to provide a base for paper pressor I3. If desired, the latches may be in- 35 fasteners with novel means at its ends adapted itially positioned outwardly of the apertures l4,

as indicated in dotted lines, for movement inwardly towards each other over the bent over ends of the prongs. This latter arrangement is extremely desirable should a base having extremely long prong be used. In this event the long prongs overlap each other a considerable distance when a comparatively thin sheaf of papers is bound.

The latches I! are provided, on their ends, with inwardly turned shoe portions l8 embracing the flanges I5. Each prong l2 preferably is provided with two longitudinally spaced apart upwardly extending transverse projections or ribs I9 defining opposed shoulders 2|. The portion of the prong between the shoulders provides a recess or compartment 22 to receive the bridgelike portion of one of the latches I! when the latter is moved into latching position therewith. Longitudinal shifting of the latches is prevented by the embracing engagement of the shoulders 2| with the edges of said latches and the inherent resiliency of the underlying prong is sufficient to retain each latch yieldingly in latching position within the recess or compartment 22.

The form of fastener shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and also shown in my said co-pending application, Serial No. 688,099, differs from the form previously described in that the latches H are adapted to be restrained from moving outwardly of the apertures by stops l6 formed at each aperture [4 preferably by depressing the longitudinal inwardly turned side flanges l5, as shown. The latch is substantially like that previously described except that it does not embrace the longitudinal flanges 15a but has shoe portions l8a sliding between the top face of the compressor l3a and the flanges. Inadvertent sliding of the latches off from the downwardly bent end portions of the prongs l2a is prevented by providing two longitudinally spaced apart projections I9a on each prong, between which the respective latch is adapted to be positioned. As best shown in Fig. 4, the inherent resiliency of the underlying prong retains the projections 19a in engagement with the opposed edges of the latch I'Ia embraced thereby and said latches can only be shifted upon forcibly depressing the prong ends to disengage the projections l9a from said latches.

In the fasteners shown herein novel means is provided on the prong to prevent, inadvertent shifting of the latch off from the underlying prongs, and the latches may be initially positioned inwardly of the bent down prongs in either form, and in the fastener illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the prongs may be bent and secured either inwardly or outwardly of the apertures.

Although exemplary forms of the invention have been described in detail in the foregoing specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawing it is not desired to limit the invention to the precise forms of fasteners disclosed but to embrace such modifications thereof as will fall within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A base for apaper fastener comprising an elongated body portion and substantially flat bendable spaced prongs joined at one end to said body portion, each of said prongs being provided adjacent its other end with upstanding projections spaced apart lengthwise of the prongs.

2. A fastener comprising a base having one or more bendable securing prongs; a compressor coperating therewith and held in position thereby; a latch slidable on said compressor and over a prong in bent position; and upstanding projections on said prong engaging opposite edges of said latch and releasably holding the same from sliding on said compressor in either direction.

3. A fastener comprising a base having one or more bendable securing prongs, a compressor cooperating therewith and held in position thereby, and a latch slidable on said compressor and over a prong in bent position, said prong being formed adjacent its end to engage opposite edges of said latch to releasably hold it from sliding on said compressor in either direction.

4. A fastener comprising a base having one or more bendable securing prongs, a compressor co-operating therewith and held in position thereby, and a latch slidable on said compressor and over a prong in bent position, said prong being formed adjacent its end to engage opposite edges of said latch to positively hold it by the inherent resiliency of the prongs from sliding on said compressor in either direction.

5. A fastener comprising a base having a bendable securing prong at each end thereof, a compressor co-operating therewith and having spaced apertures for the reception of said prongs, two latches slidable on said compressor and over the ends of said prongs in bent positions, and upstanding projections on each of said prongs engaging opposite edges of the corresponding latch and releasably holding the same from sliding on said compressor in either direction.

6. A fastener comprising a base having one or more bendable securing prongs, a compressor co-operating therewith and held in position thereby, and a latch slidable on said compressor and over a prong in bent position, said prong being formed adjacent its end to provide a compartment adapted to receive said latch and releasably hold the same from sliding on the compressor in either direction.

7. A base for a paper fastener comprising an elongated body portion and substantially flat bendable spaced prongs joined at one end to said body portion, each of said prongs having longitudinally spaced apart transverse shoulders adjacent its other end.

DANIEL A. BRENNAN. 

